Those who savor the sound but not the scene of American alt-country can leave the mannerisms behind with this South African act. Armed with a cowhand's name and a crackerjack crew, Neversink offers rangy guitar ditties that somehow feel both richly arranged and spare.
Jim Neversink are:
Jim Neversink: songs, vocals, guitar and lap-steel
Matthew Fink: guitar, accordion and anything else lying around
on stage
Katherine Hunt: bass, mandolin, backing vocals and violin
Warrick Poultney: drum kit
Jim Neversink (Michael Whitehead of Famous Curtain Trick) and his band of merry
music makers are currently one of Johannesburg’s most exciting live bands
- they play mutated rock ’n roll, country and blues with an urgent indie
edge. Jim Neversink is an awesome singer song-writer who pens truly South African
songs about heartache, suicide pacts, serial killers, copywriters and Benylin
addicts that are both entertaining and thought provoking, but the band are as
at home ripping through great covers like ‘That’s Alright
Mama’, ‘King Bee’ and ‘You
Gotta Move’.
Neversink’s wild lap-steel playing, along with Katherine Hunt’s
chilling violin phrases add a fresh edge to Jim Neversink’s
live performances, but it’s the sum of all parts that make this a truly
remarkable live experience. Warrick Poultney is the understated
but ‘solid as a rock’ drummer who holds it all
together with Katherine on bass (when she is not playing violin
or mandolin),whilst Matthew Fink (rhythm & effects) and
Jim both play the guitar like it’s meant to be played – with empathy!(see
Neil Young, Keith Richards, Johnny Marr).
From shambolic to wild to swinging this band rocks and rolls with feeling and
emotion long-gone from the live scene and replaced with the ‘American
copy cat rock’ currently endured at most South African venues.
In short, it’s a cut above the usual fare dished out across the country
and it’s something that anyone who takes their music seriously needs to
experience.
Jim Neversink and band’s influences include Hank Williams, Sonic
Youth, Velvet Underground, Gram Parson, The Clash, Tananas and The ‘Voelvry’
Movement – local trainspotters are comparing them to Arcade Fire
or The Bright Eyes.
Jim Neversink’s self titled debut album (produced by Matthew Fink) was
newspaper The Star Tonight’s! ‘Album of The Year’ and was
also in Afrikaans newspaper Die Beeld’s Top 10 albums for 2006 –
for more check out www.myspace.com/westernworld.
‘…an alternative for film, TV, and media functions – the creative
people are at all their gigs anyway…’